On the Table - the curious home of Gary Allen, Food Writer & Dillettante

 

It’s practically February; we should just forget about sharing cocktails in the garden.

The month of February is so unrelentingly depressing that ancient calendar-makers tried to make up for it by making it as short as possible. They also stuck a holiday—right in the middle—to generate some sort of heat. It's intended to throw a virtual log on the fire, since the February sun is an aloof, distant, and fickle partner at best. 

There are a few (not altogether unforeseen) effects of all that calendar tampering: Valentine’s Day acts like Viagra for the greeting-card, gift-boxed-chocolate, and cut-flower industries.

You can, if you wish, follow us on Facebook (where, among other things, we post a lot of photographs), and Twitter. Still more of our older online scribbles can be found at A Quiet Little Table in the Corner. There’s even an Amazon author’s page, mostly about our food writing.

In the spirit of the up-coming holiday, a few excerpts from On the Table’s culinary quote collection: 

In the nineteenth century, it was traditional to serve three courses of asparagus—thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac—to a French groom on the night before the wedding. The modern French gentleman has discarded the noble asparagus for the more romantic passion prompter—Champagne. Sharon Tyler Herbst

The truffle is not a positive aphrodisiac, but it can upon occasion make women tenderer and men more apt to love. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

A number of rare or newly experienced foods have been claimed to be aphrodisiacs. At one time this quality was even ascribed to the tomato. Reflect on that when you are next preparing the family salad. Jane Grigson

Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder. Variously attributed to Ernest Dowson, Christina Rossetti, and Oscar Wilde

Gary
February, 2022

PS: If you encounter broken links, changed URLs—or know of wonderful sites we’ve missed—please drop us a line. It helps to keep this resource as useful as possible for all of us. To those who have pointed out corrections or tasty sites (this month we’re tipping our hat to Fabio Parasecoli), thanks, and keep them coming!

PPS: If you wish to change the e-mail address at which you receive these newsletters, or otherwise modify the way you receive our postings or—if you’ve received this newsletter by mistake, and/or don’t wish to receive future issues—you have our sincere apology and can have your e-mail address deleted from the list immediately. We’re happy (and continuously amazed) that so few people have decided to leave the list but, should you choose to be one of them, let us know and we’ll see that your in-box is never afflicted by these updates again.

— the new sites —

All About Chianti: The Lifestyle, the Region, and the Wine

(Jennifer Simonson’s discusses the classic Tuscan wine for VINEPAIR)

Emerging Science Conflicts with Traditional Views of Taste and Smell

(Dwight Furrow’s Edible Arts article examines the case for whether or not whether “smell and taste have a cognitive dimension;” it’s part of his continuing effort to determine if wine and food can be considered forms of art)

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Garum

(Rafael Tonon’s Eater article about ancient Rome’s famous fermented fish sauce)

For Some Whiskey Distilleries, Malting Is an Ancient Process Worth the Effort

(Susannah Skiver Barton’s VINEPAIR article on the revival of old-school methods—flooring—to produce malt)

From Bengal to Manipur, This Is the Story of the Ubiquitous Dried Fish

(Priyadarshini Chatterjee explains, at Zeezest.com, that dried fish is much more than Bombay Duck)

From Hangovers to Hierarchies: Beer Production and Use During the Chalcolithic period of the Southern Levant—New evidence from Tel Tsaf and Peqi‘in Cave

(report on evidence of beer brewing, in Israel, as early as 5,200 BCE; published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology)

Great American Chestnut Tree Revival, The 

(Shea Swenson’s Modern Farmer article on recent attempts to undo the effect of a blight that killed almost all the chestnut trees in the US)

History of Beer and Brewing, A

(PDF of Ian S. Hornsley’s rare 2003 book)

How the Potato Chip Took Over America

(Brandon Tensley revisits some origin stories for Smithsonian)

Kohlrabi’s Time to Shine

(Flora Tsapovsky writes, in Tablet, about the reasons why this cabbage relative is suddenly popular in Israel)

Types of Potatoes: Ultimate Guide to Different Kinds of Potatoes and Their Uses

(another informative page from Leafy Place)

What’s So Special About Monk-Made Food?

(Alex Mayyasi, on the appeal of “beer, cheesecake, and ferments made at convents and temples,” for Gastro Obscura)

— inspirational (or otherwise useful) sites for writers/bloggers —

An Ex-Drinker’s Search for a Sober Buzz

Argentine Wheat Hides a History of Native Genocide

Being Avant-Garde Does Not Require Being a Pompous Ass

Can “Distraction-Free” Devices Change the Way We Write?

Cook More, Talk Less

Cooking with Mary Shelley

Eye of the Beer Holder: Beer Label Design Trends to Watch

Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Cookbook Stories of 2021

Gift of Hunger, The

How the Pandemic Knocked Chefs Off Their Pedestal

Kiki or Bouba: What Is the Shape of Your Taste?

Mayukh Sen on Writing about Food—With Feeling

(Other) French Chef, The

Retirement Tips from World-Famous Authors to Live Happily Ever After

What We Talk About When We Talk About Food

— another blog —

Mid-century Menu

— podcasts, etcetera —

Green Eggs and Dan

How Did Sweetness Become Taboo in Drinks?

Kitchen Counter, The

Library of Congress Acquires Kitchen Sisters’ Audio Archive

Local Mouthful

— that’s all for now —

Except, of course, for the usual legalistic mumbo-jumbo and commercial flim-flam:

As an Amazon Associate, this newsletter earns from qualifying purchases made through it. These include our own books (listed below), and occasional books mentioned in the entries above. If you order anything via those links, the price you pay is not increased by our commission.

Occasionally, URLs we provide may take you to commercial sites (that is, they’ll cost you money to take full advantage of them), or publications that have paywalls. We do not receive any compensation for listing them here, and provide them without any form of recommendation—other than the fact that they looked interesting to us.

Your privacy is important to us. We will not give, sell or share your e-mail address with anyone, for any purpose. Ever. Nonetheless, we will expose you to the following irredeemably brazen plugs for our own books:

The Resource Guide for Food Writers
(Hardcover)
(Paper)
(Kindle)
(newsletters like this merely update the contents of the book; what doesn’t appear here is already in the book)

The Herbalist in the Kitchen
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)

The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food And Drink Industries
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)

Human Cuisine
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Herbs: A Global History
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)

Sausage: A Global History
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)

Can It! The Perils and Pleasures of Preserving Foods
(Hardcover)
(Kindle)

Sauces Reconsidered: Après Escoffier

(Hardcover)
(Kindle)

Terms of Vegery
(Paper)
(Kindle)

How to Serve Man:
On Cannibalism, Sex, Sacrifice, & the Nature of Eating
(Paper)
(Kindle)

How to Write a Great Book

(Paper)
(Kindle)

The Digressions of Dr Sanscravat: Gastronomical Ramblings & Other Diversions
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Ephemera: a short collection of short stories
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Prophet Amidst Losses
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Cenotaphs
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Future Tense: Remembrance of Things Not Yet Past
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Backstories: As retold by Gary Allen
(Paper)
(Kindle)

Here endeth the sales pitch(es)...

...for the moment, anyway.

______________

The Resource Guide for Food Writers, Update #256 is protected by copyright, and is provided at no cost, for your personal use only. It may not be copied or retransmitted unless this notice remains affixed. Any other form of republication—unless with the author’s prior written permission—is strictly prohibited.

Copyright ©2022 by Gary Allen.